Chapter 98: How the Victors Write the History (Patreon)

On the Fate of Avaria

by Priestess Rosanne

It was said of the two Grand Crusades launched against Avaria that the first broke their power while the second absorbed it.

The Second Grand Crusade was the last major military campaign launched by King Arnoud, and it cemented his kingdom’s hegemony over the region and his tactical genius. No longer did the Kingdom of Ravenveld have any strong rivals on any of its borders. With such a vast territory under their jurisdiction, the kingdom turned from cementing control to establishing permanence.

The invasion was not without consequences internally. The great Duke Leonardo of Villamar and his half-brother and heir, Raphael, both perished gloriously in battle. They died carrying out a mission in the heart of the territory, putting an end to the tyranny of the foul liches that governed Avaria.

Additionally, Willem, formerly of House Brugh, disappeared during the fighting after a glorious display of the lost technique of the aura bow. It is commonly assumed he was assassinated by the enemy because they feared his prowess might turn the tides of the war. His business debts were unwound and absorbed into the territories of House Dubois, which were eventually integrated into the crownland.

The proud nation of Avaria became a subject state to the Kingdom of Ravenveld. In a grand display of empathy, the King’s daughter, Princess Clara, pleaded that her father show mercy upon the slaves that had been fighting for centuries. She claimed that their masters were to blame, and not the slaves themselves. She pleaded that they be given a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of the goddess of life. The king, moved by her piety, assented.

Miraculously, several slaves born in the Kingdom of Ravenveld yet kidnapped at a young age came forward not long after, offering to govern the kingdom on behalf of the king. They offered to heal the battered nation and restore it to glory. His daughter’s faith in these wayward souls had moved King Arnoud to unusual compromise. The king magnanimously accepted these offers, granting them significant autonomy with which to conduct their affairs.

As it turned out, Her Highness Clara’s glorious faith was well-rewarded by the goddess. When one devotes oneself to the faith utterly, miracles arise. The king realized her potential, and elevated her to the position of co-monarch. In the coming years, her closest advisor Hans the Redeemed would eventually rise to the position of king-consort. It is said he was especially adroit at playing all sides.

Despite some initial slanderous revolts claiming that these new governors were chimeras born of foul and unnatural magic, their success in quelling these revolts efficiently and their patronage of the faith stand as proof to their legitimacy. Though the lands of Avaria were filled with monsters most unnatural and barbaric cultures that were fostered on bloodshed, peace was kept with a gentle hand. The people of Avaria could leave their doors unlocked, for someone was always watching over them.

Where once there had been treacherous fortified mountain passes barring travel between Avaria and Ravenveld, the combined efforts of these new governors and Her Highness Clara created roads that would expand to immense prominence in the coming years. The brave frontiersman of the Society of Assured Prosperity endeavored to create a thriving industry in this new territory.

The Society of Assured Prosperity, an organization of businessmen, came together in an act of charity to establish industries that might promote the prosperity of this newly claimed territory out of the goodness of their own hearts. They did this in the memory of their founder, Willem, who likely gave his life fighting against the Avarians. Their funds were essential both in establishing trade networks with the new vassal, and providing imports for industries to get up off the ground.

Where before, the vast quantities of enslaved peoples in Avaria were employed toward menial tasks such as mining and the construction of grand monuments, this new liberated society employed its labor toward different, more productive ends. The advancements were nothing short of staggering.

Chartered ironworks, constructed with stone from former fortresses, became crucibles of innovation. The Society of Assured Prosperity helped introduce ideas such as the standardization of parts and the concept of manufactories in the way of specialized craftsmen. They had already prototyped these ideas in Gent, where large factories were conducted for the purposes of creating soap. There, several unskilled laborers would endeavor to operate a large-scale factory overseen by a few highly skilled individuals.

The magma beneath the surface of the whole nation of Avaria was put to great use in these ironworks. They provided a source of tremendous energy which achieved unparalleled efficiency in melting, smelting, and general efficacy. With greater efficiency, and thus greater production, large-scale production of tools facilitated rapid deployment of construction teams to improve the infrastructure of the scattered nation.

It was said that a single manufactory in Avaria could produce as many tools as every smith in the capital of Ravenveld. At first, these tools were largely used locally. As production continued, their demand internally decreased as supply rose. They began to export finished metal tools abroad. While these tools were in some ways lacking compared to the focused attention of a skilled blacksmith, the cheap prices and consistent quality made them largely desirable products around the whole of the kingdom.

This was the beginning of the integration of Avaria into the nation and the wider world. As they began to trade abroad, they realized that the methods employed by the Society of Assured Prosperity were the key to their rebuilding efforts. Thus, several industries arrived in Avaria, buoyed by the support of the local government and the exuberance of the people, who for the first time experienced pay for their work.

Lacking the onerous imposition of organizations such as guilds, Avaria was capable of rapidly expanding imported industries. It began with ironworking, but it quickly evolved into far more sophisticated crafts. It came to be that Avaria would import raw material, and export finished products. Iron ore would be imported, and iron products would be exported from their foundries. Wool and cotton would be imported, while fine cloths would depart their textile mills.

Bit by bit, they developed industries internally to employ their sizable population. Glassworks, shipyards, papermills, steelworks—countless of such crafts sprung up all too quickly, supported by the amenable local government and the abundance of labor left behind after the liberation of the Second Grand Crusade.

The harsh land of Avaria, inhospitable as its terrain is, cannot be compared to the heartlands of the Kingdom of Ravenveld. Nevertheless, the tremendous success of its industries has improved the quality of life for the people residing within its territory immeasurably. Once, people lived in densely packed slums at the base of volcanoes. The living conditions now compared to then have improved incomparably.

Paved roads now connect the industrial townships, replacing the treacherous paths which no caravans dared brave. Public wells, once a luxury guarded by oligarchs, are now common features of every village square. Wages, though modest, are paid in coin rather than food rations, and markets have reemerged where only scrap-trading once occurred.

Housing remains plain—stone bunkhouses, and little else—but most are no longer at risk of collapsing from harsh winds. Even education, long suppressed, has found a foothold in the form of pioneering priestesses of the goddess of life. It is not luxury, but it is stability—something Avarians had not known in living memory.

I write this pamphlet now on paper milled in Avaria. Everything—from the quill that I write this with to the clothes that I wear to ward away the cold—has come from Avaria. I encourage you, people seeking change, to consider coming to Avaria. These people have need of our aid, and the goddess of life will reward you as she has so many others in this newly blessed land.

Henceforth, I shall list the many histories that you might be a part of, reader…

***

Dirk looked around the venue for the meeting of the Society of Assured Prosperity. It would be some time before the meeting began in earnest, but in a fashion, it already had. Several important movers were already here. He spotted a bald man with a bushy black beard reading a paper seriously. He shook his head as he walked up to him.

“Jansen,” Dirk called out.

Jansen looked up, looking at Dirk with blue eyes that seemed as sharp as ever.

Dirk stood over him with crossed arms. “You’re here once a year, and you’re going to spend your time reading a pamphlet?”

“I can’t exactly help it if this paper is more interesting than all of you.” Jansen folded it up despite his words, then stood. He towered over Dirk. “You’ve read it. What do you think?”

“Do you think the words of some crazy priestess suggesting that people should move to the recently conquered territory filled with monsters is going to have an effect?” Dirk asked dryly.

“You’re so saucy these days,” Jansen complained. “I’ve created a monster of my own—you.”

Dirk felt significantly less compelled to be combative to Jansen. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that everything good that had happened in his life came about because of this man. He wouldn’t say that everything had simply been handed to him on a silver platter. Rather, it might’ve been a gold platter, and he’d needed to endure a laborious hike through uncharted territories to get it.

“Anyway, dinner’s waiting. That’s why I came out here,” Dirk said. “Diana seemed quite irritated with you.”

“Well, she’s always like that,” Jansen mused, but started walking. “Let’s go. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a decent meal. There isn’t exactly a robust culinary tradition in Avaria.”

“As if you’d waste any money on a decent meal,” Dirk said.

Jansen sighed. “You’ve changed, Dirk.”

“What?”

“You finally agree that it’s a waste of money,” Jansen pointed out. “I’m very proud of you, son.”

Dirk shook his head, but he couldn’t help but laugh under his breath.

<Previous      -Table of Contents-     Next>